There’s a certain amount of risk involved in every transaction. The same is true of the Knicks’ trade for Derrick Rose.
Below, we’ll take a look at some potential pros and cons of the move.
PRO: Scoring
Rose adds scoring to a Knicks team in need of it. For much of the season, New York’s defense has ranked in the top third of the league in points allowed per 100 possessions. That’s one of the biggest factors in New York, so far, exceeding preseason expectations. The club’s offense has lagged, in the bottom third by most measures. The Knicks obviously hope Rose can give them a lift. The former MVP is averaging 14 points, four assists and one steal in a reserve role for Detroit this season.
CON: Taking minutes away from Quickley?
I didn’t get the sense that this move would impact Immanuel Quickley’s minutes/role. The New York Post reported that Austin Rivers is more likely to have a reduced role once Rose arrives. Tom Thibodeau has said that he likes that Quickley can play on and off the ball. Given that, it’s reasonable to expect that Quickley and Rose can play together. Thibodeau’s also talked about wanting to play Quickley and Elfrid Payton in the backcourt. So it’s premature to assume that Quickley will see fewer minutes now that Rose is here. Rose, like Quickley, thrives with the ball in his hands. So it will be interesting to see how well they can play off of one another if they’re paired up in the backcourt.
With regards to Rose mentoring Quickley, it’s worth pointing out what he said about playing with Detroit rookie Killian Hayes earlier this season.
So Rose seems to be at a different place in his career than he was during his last stint in New York. The Knicks, of course, traded for Rose in 2016 under then team president Phil Jackson; the move didn’t work out well for either side. The Knicks struggled on the court and Rose drew criticism for leaving the team prior to a game without explanation. New York opted against re-signing Rose.
PRO: Familiar with Thibs
Rose knows Thibodeau, his system and his standards. So he should only add to the collective buy-in that the Knicks have talked about regarding Thibodeau.
Here’s what Julius Randle said about Thibodeau last week:
“He’s putting us all in great positions on the court. We’re all extremely comfortable with what he’s having us do out there. And he has us all bought in, which is something that – you can’t really ask for more than that. A coach who is going to lead us and have everybody buy in and we’re seeing the results, we’re seeing the fruits of our labor. So we’ve just got to stay with it, keep playing for each other, keep being unselfish and keep winning some games.”
Rose was obviously brought in to help New York win more games. The Knicks enter Tuesday’s game in Miami in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They traded for Rose in an effort to win games and make the playoffs. So it’s on Thibodeau to incorporate Rose in a way that doesn’t negatively impact the chemistry established during the Knicks’ strong start. It’s also important to weave Rose in in a way that doesn’t impede the progress the young Knicks like Quickley have made thus far. That’s a difficult balance in the NBA.
CON: What’s the priority? Winning or developing young players?
This is a question Knicks fans have become familiar with over the past seven years or so. New York hasn’t fully committed to letting a group of young players develop together, play through mistakes and emerge as solid young nucleus. Instead, the Knicks have mixed and matched veterans with their young players – and the results have been, mostly, bad.
So some Knicks fans probably had PTSD when seeing the Rose trade. Would it impact Quickley’s development? Is the team trying to win now when it should be prioritizing the youth?
These are all valid concerns. But there’s no failsafe blueprint to team building.
The Knicks are also under new management in Leon Rose. And they have a new coach in Thibodeau. It will be up to Rose’s group and Thibodeau’s group to strike a balance between developing young players and remaining competitive. It will be interesting to see how the Rose trade impacts that balance.
